Loading

Lesotho

HAS NOT ENDORSED THE POLITICAL DECLARATION

Lesotho has not yet endorsed the Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. However, it has expressed support for the Political Declaration.1

Statements and positions

In October 2019, Lesotho attended a Conference on the Protection of Civilians in Urban Warfare in Vienna, Switzerland. During the conference, Lesotho expressed support for the Political Declaration for the first time. At the conference, Lesotho urged states present to call for a  “conceptual shift away from just protecting civilians to completely doing away with war.”2

Lesotho has aligned with other states to deliver statements that have mentioned the issue of explosive weapons in populated areas. At the 2021 meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the African Group, of which the Lesotho is a member, reiterated its deep concern for the continued threats posed by landmines, explosive remnants of war, and Improvised Explosive Devices, “including the devastating consequences they have on civilians, post-conflict reconstruction, integration efforts and socio-economic development”, set out in a communique from the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.3

At the UN General Assembly First Committee in 2023, the Non-Aligned Movement, of which Lesotho is a member, condemned the indiscriminate shelling and bombing of Palestinian civilian areas.4

In 2019, Lesotho was one of 71 states that delivered a joint statement to the 74th United Nations General Assembly, calling for action on the impact of explosive weapons. The statement encouraged states to participate in international efforts to address the impacts of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas on civilians, including by working towards the creation of an international Political Declaration on this issue.5

  1. ‘States commit to take political action on explosive weapons at Vienna conference.’ Reaching Critical Will, 2019. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/news/latest-news/14061-states-commit-to-take-political-action-on-explosive-weapons-at-vienna-conference
  2. Ibid.
  3. Sixth Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects Geneva, 13-17 December 2021, African Group, 13 December 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2021/RevCon/statements/14Dec_AfricanGroup.pdf; Communiqué of the 1032rd meeting of the PSC held on 16 September 2021 on the Continental and Regional Activities in the Area of Mine Action, Peace and Security Council of the African Union, 1 October 2021, https://www.peaceau.org/en/article/communique-of-the-1032rd-meeting-of-the-psc-held-on-16-september-2021-on-the-continental-and-regional-activities-in-the-area-of-mine-action
  4. Statement by Delegation of the Republic of Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, First Committee 78th Session United Nations General Assembly, October 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/17Oct_NAM.pdf
  5. ‘UNGA74 First Committee Joint Statement on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas’. Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. 24 October 2019. Available from https://article36.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UNGA74-joint-statement-on-explosive-weapons-in-populated-areas.pdf

Other State Positions